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Published: August 22nd 2006
2 great days…
Some first impressions.
Berliners who go out of their way to help you… most of them were unfailingly polite and would seek us out to rescue us from trains that stopped suddenly or streets that behaved unexpectedly.
Berlin rain that seems to follow the legendary German efficiency - powerful bursts that go away as quickly as they come, leaving you to get on with life.
And in the defense of Nutty, the quietest dog on the block, he does have a very powerful bark, but believes in being a man of few words!
On Aug 21st, after a quick glimpse of Reichstag in the morning, we moved to the Brandenberg Tor. Spectacular monument with a long history to boot. The room of silence there is probably the best place to think about the travails of war, the human spirit that survives and the human vision/effort that makes things right again.
Then we went to the Holocaust memorial and ran into a New Berlin tour guide - which turned out to be fortuitous. A Newzealander with a loud voice, lots of attitude and energy. I am still very skeptical about half the stories he told us J - but it made for an entertaining trip. The Holocaust memorial was great - provoking thought and emotion, open to interpretation, allowing you to interact with it and dwarfing you. - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4646810
From there, off the to the section of the wall that was still standing - which under whelmed us by its size (Karthik could hoist me over it, if he wantedJ), but overwhelmed us by the sense of history - our tour guide painted quite a picture of people jumping out of windows over the wall, pole vaulting over it etc and the jubilation when the wall came down.
To Checkpoint Charlie and then a chocolate factory - with a long buffet of delectable creations and large chocolate models of Berlin landmarks.
Then, lunch at an incredible Italian restaurant, post lunch siesta and back to Reichstag for a guided tour. I loved the Reichstag and we were very luck to have a remarkable tour guide. I really appreciated architecture for the first time - what it can stand for - in this case, many constructs stood for team work, transparency of government, inclusion of the common man in the government and the hierarchy of people, press and the legislative body (you had to be thereJ). The dome at the Reichstag reminded both of us of an intergalactic landing port J (think MiB, Star Trek), and is a fantastic piece of architecture. All in all, a full day.
Tips for Berlin travelers: Get a good tour guide (the invisible in this city is more powerful than the visible), carry an umbrella and feel free to get lost to experience some Berlin hospitality.
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C.P.Rajagopal
non-member comment
Rain? SNOW??
You seem to have experienced some rain only. WE had 3/4" snow. See broken church in Berlin and fell the war when you see it. Bus service I agree with you. Tell other travelleers to Berlin. Berlin wall broken and sold as souveniers (duplicate wall pieces) for Euros- money matters everywhere. Have a good time. Appa.